moonlight sonata
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: All of her friends and family were pairing off and Corrin suddenly understood intimately what a third wheel felt like. Fortunately, Azura looked like she was in the same boat.


**Title: **moonlight sonata

**Characters/Pairings:** Corrin, Azura

**A/N:** Written for the Fire Emblem Rally Spectrum zine. I love these two together, romantically, platonically, whatever. They just have a good rapport.

**Summary:** _All of her friends and family were pairing off and Corrin suddenly understood intimately what a third wheel felt like. Fortunately, Azura looked like she was in the same boat._

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A twig snapped and Corrin whipped her head, looking over her shoulder into the gloom of the forest behind her. In the starlight, the forest looked more ominous than usual, as though any manner of beast or monster could spring out of it. Her hand rested on her sword and she tensed, ready to leap up at the first sign of the enemy. "Who's there?"

"It's me." Azura slowly stepped out of the shadows, her hands in front of her. Her robes flowed around her, a cool breeze from the lake ruffling through them. A nervous smile flitted over her lips as she approached Corrin. "Sorry to scare you."

"Oh." With a sigh, Corrin relaxed, slouching forward. To be honest, they were deep in Nohrian territory, so it would have been odd to find a Hoshidian on a dock by an unknown pond. With all that happened recently though, she was on edge and it felt like every time she tried to relax, something new and terrible happened. "It's fine."

"It's odd to find you here." The wooden dock creaked as Azura got closer. It rocked gently with each movement. She clasped her hands behind her back, looking up at the moon. "Usually, I am the one sitting by the water."

"Yeah, that's true." Corrin laughed, glancing up at Azura. Even their positions were switched but Corrin didn't want to get up. Her feet skimmed the cold water as she grounded her hands on the wood and leaned back, staring up at the moon as well. The stars glinted brightly against the black sky, millions of jewels trapped in the darkness. "Though I finally get why you come here."

"You do?" Azura looked down, surprised. She brushed a stray hair behind her ear as a breeze rustled her veil.

"Yeah." Corrin looked down into the water, her toe gingerly touching her reflection. Ripples distorted her murky image and she watched her face changed into something unfamiliar. "It's very peaceful here."

"It is." Carefully pinching the edges of her skirt, Azura lifted the hem as she gracefully sat down next to her. It was the dancer in her, almost all of her movements looked elegant. "I like to gather my thoughts next to the water. I feel like it gives a sense of clarity."

"It's also quieter than the camp." Rubbing her neck, Corrin glanced back again. While they were too far to spot the fires or hear the general ruckus of their army, she could barely make out a plume of smoke in the night sky. "Especially with all the new recruits."

"They are a little…unruly," Azura admitted, carefully picking her words. It was the closest to disdain or annoyance that Corrin had ever seen from her. "But I think they just miss their parents. After a few days with them, I'm sure they'll settle down."

"Parents," Corrin repeated, rolling the word in her mouth. It felt strange, foreign, no matter how many times she repeated it. "I can't believe Xander is father. Or Carmilla. Leo. Even Elise—she's younger than me, you know?" She turned to Azura, gesturing her hands in disbelief. "How did she get married before me?"

"…even in love, there's an element of chance?" Azura answered, unsure. She rested her cheek on a hand, crossing her other arm to cup her elbow. "Though I do understand the feeling. I can only imagine the same thing is happening over there—that Sakura, Hinako, or even Takumi is married."

"Takumi?" Corrin snorted. Her shoulders shook as she tried to imagine it—she had only known her blood-brother for days, but it didn't take more than a few hours to see just how hard he was to handle. "Who would marry _him_?"

"Umm…" Azura opened her mouth before hastily shutting it. Her fingers tapped her cheek while she scanned the darkness around them, as though the answer would emerge just as she had. With a sheepish smile, she suggested, "Maybe one of his retainers? They're fond of him."

Corrin looked at her incredulously. "Fond."

"…well, Orboro shares his hatred for Nohrians?" As Corrin continued to stare at her, Azura giggled, covering her mouth. She ducked her head and admitted, "He will have a hard time."

"That's an understatement," she corrected. Especially considering the hate he carried now; the last time they met—but no, she didn't want to dwell on her regrets. On her losses. There was plenty of time to think of them in the future. Leaning back, she bemoaned to the stars, "It's just so weird."

Azura laughed into her hand once more, muffling the sound. It was a rare sight normally, and somehow Corrin managed to squeeze it out of her twice. "It is."

Corrin beamed, glad that someone agreed with her for once. Especially since it was Azura—ever since they met, she'd felt a connection with her; like they were kindred spirits. Well, they did have a lot in common: both kidnapped in childhood and raised in a different kingdom, both had strange powers, both of their homelands felt like a stranger's place.

Perhaps, in this one other thing, they shared similar feelings. Nervous, Corrin dipped a toe in the water, drawing a small circle on the surface. Fireflies floated over the watery depths, their lights pinpricks on the dark waters. "You haven't married yet. Have you…found someone?"

"Huh?" Azura stared at her for a long moment, before averting her gaze. Her fingers fiddled with the edge of her veil. "No…I'm embarrassed to admit it, but unlike our siblings, I haven't."

"Me neither." Corrin focused on the ripples extending from where her toe touched the water. She remembered the first time she'd spotted Azura by the water, looking more like a spirit than a human. "If Leo could do it, I'm sure Takumi can, but I…" The words were caught in her throat and fear ran through her. Her fingers curled, digging into the wooden deck.

Courage. She needed courage. The wind died, as though a hush had fallen over the world. Even the crickets and owls fell silent. It felt like they were in that other world, in that land that only Azura and she could go to. A place where it was only them, where no one else could overhear. Before she could stop herself, Corrin blurted, "I don't think I can."

"Can what?" Azura asked, cocking her head curiously. She leaned closer, brushing a stray lock behind her ear.

"Can…get married…" Corrin mumbled, flushing red. Her skin burned as Azura watched her silently. With each word, her voice got quiet and quieter. "Or…you know…do…_it._"

Gods, this was a bad idea and she regretted it immediately. It was worse than fighting a battle or any of the other stupid challenges her father had given her. Hell, she'd rather get shoved off a bridge again or fight Takumi at his angriest. Quickly, she started to get up. "Never mind, I should head back, just forget it—"

Before she could pull her legs in, Azura grabbed her arm, freezing her in place. Her fingers dug into Corrin's skin. "Don't go. I…I understand."

Corrin's jaw dropped, not believing her ears. "You…what?"

"I understand." Azura nodded shyly, letting go now. She flushed, embarrassed at the attention. "I…also feel that way."

Dropping back onto the dock, Corrin landed a little harder than she expected and fell backwards. Her back hit the wooden planks hard, knocking the wind out of her, but Azura's declaration had already done that. She gaped up at Azura. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Azura repeated, reaching down to help her up.

Corrin grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. Even after she sat up, she didn't let go. "I…I thought I was alone in that. Everyone else talked about love and romance and I…I don't know. I just never felt it. I thought maybe I just hadn't met someone but…you feel it too." She smiled brightly, elated. "You feel it too."

There was something magical about the word 'too'. Something utterly magical. A signal that she wasn't alone. A sign that there were others.

That there was someone else out there who was just like her. Corrin leaned back, kicking her feet excitedly in front of her. She could take on any of her father's ridiculous challenges tomorrow. Hell, she could fight a dragon if he asked.

"I'm…I'm just so happy," Corrin chirped, bumping shoulders with her. Now that it was off her chest, a fountain of questions bubbled out from her. "When did you know?"

"Huh?" Azura had never been the most forthcoming person in the first place, but faced with an over eager Corrin, she had little room to evade. "I…I don't know…I don't think I really realized it until I came here and saw…well, all of the couples and their romances."

"I think I kinda always knew." Corrin splashed her feet slowly in the water, shivering as the cold droplets hit her ankles. "I was never really interested when I was younger and thought that, well, one day I might get interested. That maybe it was an adult thing. And then that _one day_ never came."

"That sounds just like you." Azura smiled softly.

"I guess." Biting her lip, Corrin frowned as she considered it. "I didn't really think of war or what our two countries were up to or anything, really, until I experienced it first." As realization dawned, her shoulders sank. No wonder her siblings had treated her like a child. "I'm a dense idiot."

"It's not that bad!" Azura patted her back consolingly.

Corrin shot her a baleful glare.

"It is that bad," she amended quickly, interlacing her fingers on her lap. Azura smiled bashfully. "But that attitude of yours helped me a lot. I…I don't feel quite as alone when I'm with you."

Alone. Loneliness. Corrin peeked at her friend's silhouette—it was another thing she hadn't really thought about up to this moment, but Azura was alone here. Her siblings, blood-related or not, were back in Hoshido. Elise was the only one of Corrin's siblings that accepted Azura with open arms.

To be alone in a crowd. It was what Corrin had felt when she had gone to Hoshido. It was what she felt while surrounded by all these couples. It was what Azura was feeling right now, in a land that was not her own, without a familiar face to seek refuge with.

Reaching out, she grabbed one of Azura's hands and squeezed it tightly. "No, you're not alone. From now on, neither of us are. And if there's anything else that's bothering you, you can tell me."

Surprised, Azura stared at her for a long moment. Her free hand reached up to her pendant, glittering from the moonlight. Gripping it, she nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Somehow, that didn't feel right. In the moonlight, Azura looked ethereal. Like the water that Azura loved so much, she felt just as translucent. It was hard to pin her, to understand what lay hidden behind her half-moon smiles and hooded eyes. It scared Corrin. All it would take was a single touch and Azura would disappear in the ripples. Desperately, she repeated, gripping Azura's hand even tighter, "Anything at all. We're friends, right?"

"Friends," Azura echoed quietly. She glanced down at Corrin's hand and her expression softened. Delicately, she turned her hand over and grasped back. She looked lost for words, her voice cracking. "That's…I…thank you."

And it wasn't enough—Corrin could still feel the wall, even if she couldn't see it. But it was a start; it had to be a start. One day, just like how she'd confessed her secret, Azura would confess hers.

For today, though, this was enough. Leaning back on the dock, she crossed her arms and rested her head on her palms. With a mischievous grin, she peeked at Azura. "So…do you really think Takumi's married?"

Azura laughed and that was three times today that Corrin managed to steal one out of her.


End file.
